Sexual Life in Ancient India: A Study in the Comparative History of Indian Culture v2.c19.24

v2.c19.24

Polygamy is right for the man, but not for the woman: “Polygamy, O fair one, is no wrong for the men, but it is so probably for the women” (xiv, 80.14). Here as elsewhere it is also quite immaterial whether the husband is still alive or is dead; for the woman one man is appointed, none along with him, none after him. So does the Brahman woman exhort her husband in i, 158.35, 36 to send her as sacrifice to the man-eating monster, for he can then take another wife. “And no blame is laid on the men that marry many wives, but very great blame is laid on women, if they offend their first husband (through a new marriage).” For: “This friendship the Maker has made an everlasting, deathless one” (xiv, 80.15). The indissolubility of this bond of friendship is therefore only a one-sided one. Still the man, too, has certain duties in his polygynic marriage. This is what the old legend says : Daksha had twenty-seven daughters, the constellations. He married them to Soma, the moon. They were all without compare for beauty ; but Rohiṇī outshone even her sisters. Therefore the moon loved only her, and partook of love's joys with her alone. Then the others went in anger to their father and told him that their husband kept always with Rohiṇī ; therefore they wished to live with their father, and take refuge in asceticism. Daksha admonished the sinner : " Behave in the same way towards all thy wives that a great guilt may not come on thee." To his daughters he spoke : " Now he will treat you all the same, since I have so bidden him. Go back to him." But the evil man went on doing as before. The poor rejected ones came with new complaints to their father. He warned Soma : " Behave in like wise towards all thy wives that I may not curse thee." But the stubborn man gave no heed to his words ; the daughters once more took their anger and grief before their father, and begged him to see to it that the moon god should also give them his love. Then Daksha grew angry and sent a decline on the offender. Sacrifices and everything possible the moon, ever decreasing, undertook, but nothing helped. As a result the plants and herbs also vanished away, whose growth and strength, indeed, depends on the orb of night, the lord of plants ; and as these last grew dry and sapless, and had no new growth, all creatures suffered and died of hunger. The gods asked the moon what was the reason of his decline, and when he had told them, they begged Daksha to put a stop to the destruction of the world. He spoke : " The moon must always treat his wives exactly alike, and bathe himself in Prabhāsa, the holy pilgrimage-place of Sarasvatī. Then he will set himself free from the curse ; he will henceforth for a half month wane, and for a half month wax again " (ix, 35.45 ff. ; cp. xii, 342.57). Thus that curse that fell on him for his partiality is to-day still at work (xii, 342.57, 58).¹